Well, we’ve made it to the end of January, which has been approximately eleven years long. To celebrate, I thought we should take a look at some cool red convertibles – but not the typical fare. You don’t see these two every day. They’re more expensive than our usual cars, but worth it, I think, at least in terms of fake internet money.
Yesterday we looked at a couple of cheap VWs, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the little old Fox take the win. I’ve always thought they were neat cars, sort of a miniature Audi 4000. The Beetle’s airbag issues and rust scared some of you, it sounds like, whereas the Fox’s needs seemed easier to tackle.
Myself, I’m definitely on team Fox. I don’t dislike the New Beetle, and I really like that orange color, but if I have the choice between an ’80s VW and a 2000s VW, I’ll always go for the older one. Of course, I’d rather have a Scirocco, but who wouldn’t?
If you go looking for convertibles in the internet classifieds, you’ll find a lot of Mustangs, Chrysler Sebrings, Miatas, and Corvettes. Every once in a while, you’ll come across a Camaro or a BMW Z3. You know what you won’t find? A Nissan 240SX. Or a Citroën Méhari. Except today, I did. Let’s take a look at them.
1970 Citroën Méhari – $10,500
Engine/drivetrain: 602 cc OHV flat 2, four-speed manual, FWD
Location: Seattle, WA
Odometer reading: 44,000 miles
Operational status: Won’t start, has an ignition issue
One of my favorite categories of car is the “beach car”: an open-top version of a small economy car, built for sunny environments. The Mini Moke and Fiat Jolly are two famous examples, but Citroën also made one, based on the 2CV platform: the Méhari. It was only available in the US for two years, 1969 and 1970, and very few were sold. This is a rare car indeed.
The Méhari shares the 2CV’s air-cooled flat-twin engine, in its largest displacement: 602 cubic centimeters. It’s front-wheel-drive, of course, though a 4WD version was available for a few years in other parts of the world. It uses the same four-speed manual and leading/trailing arm suspension as the 2CV, and is apparently better off-road than you’d guess. This one does not run; the seller suspects a problem with its aftermarket electronic ignition system (probably a Pertronix unit). Those systems are usually bulletproof, so I wonder if something just isn’t hooked up right. The seller says it was running and driving just a couple of years ago, which is a good sign.
Like most beach cars, the Méhari’s interior pretty much is its exterior. This one doesn’t even appear to have doors, just vinyl-coated chains stretching across the openings. The Méhari was classified as a light truck in the US, so it didn’t need seat belts, either. These things will go about 50-55 miles an hour, I’ve read, which must be terrifying. This one has been partially disassembled; the seats are stripped to the bare frames, but new covers – along with a whole bunch of other parts – are included.
The Méhari’s body is vacuum-formed ABS plastic, molded in color. Time has not been kind to this one’s red body; it’s badly faded. Hopefully it’s not too brittle. Replacement panels are available, if you need them. It does include a new convertible top and windshield.
1992 Nissan 240SX SE – $8,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter DOHC inline 4, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Odometer reading: 263,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
For some cars, popularity is a curse. They become extremely well-known for one thing, and nearly every cheap example gets snatched up and used for that purpose, which drives up prices and makes it nearly impossible for casual enthusiasts to get their hands on one. The Nissan 240SX is such a car, and the one thing it is well-known for – and has been ever since Nissan first advertised it – is drifting. 240SXs get hacked up to make them drift better, crashed, rebuilt, and drifted some more. Only one bodystyle seems to escape such punishment: the convertible.
The 240SX is powered by Nissan’s twin-cam KA24DE four-cylinder, in this case backed by a four-speed automatic. It’s a good setup for a mild-mannered cruiser of a convertible, but less than ideal for the drifting crowd, which might be another reason why this one has remained intact. It has a ton of miles on it, and the seller says it has been a reliable daily driver for a long time. See? Keep cars stock, take care of them, and they just keep running.
It’s hard to assess its condition inside, because we have no way of knowing what’s under those seat covers or dash topper. The carpet doesn’t look great, but the door panels are in fine shape. The seller says the convertible top works fine, but the air conditioning doesn’t.
It looks good outside; most of the paint is shiny, and I don’t see any signs of damage. It has aftermarket wheels, but they suit it well. The seller does note a couple of small issues: the driver’s door lock doesn’t work, and the trunk lid won’t stay open on its own. Typical old-car stuff. It wouldn’t be any fun if it didn’t need something, would it?
“Red convertible” is a pretty tenuous connection between these two, I realize, but we won’t let that stop us. On one hand, you’ve got a cool French beach car in need of some restoration, and on the other, a sporty Japanese car that escaped a hard life thanks to its soft top and “wrong” transmission. You’ve got all weekend to make your choice. See you all on Monday!
Nissan, just because I’m sure I would lose an eye on one of those tall spiky sticky uppy things on the Citroën. Still, around where I live, urban hipsters have taken to driving around in golf carts, so the Citroën would score massive cool points with that crowd, if you could get it running.
I’ll take that yellow Jag sedan, thanks. Back when there was a you pull-it junkyard in Missoula, MT, the yard car was a yellow Mehari. And according to Wikipedia, a Mehari once appeared in an Elvis movie!
The Mehari is supremely cool, but way overpriced.
Hence, Nissan.
Which is not cool at all and way overpriced
When you’re right, you’re right…
I didn’t even know they made an S13 convertible. It doesn’t look bad at all, though it would look much better with the Silvia front end.
Give me the 1961 Dodge Polara in the background of the Mehari pictures.
I remember back in ‘92 these Nissans were dealership doorstops and were hard to sell being viewed as underpowered compared to it’s competitors but compared to this “always weirdo Frenchie-Mobile” it wins this time cause now you can’t find one unmolested.
I’d wonder about those stains under the 240.
Nissan, but that price is ridiculous. Fuck me, but the future pisses me off something awful, man.
Tough choice. If the cars were in identical condition I’d vote twice for the Citroen. The Mehari is an interesting vehicle. I also live near the beach so an open air beach car is very appealing to me. However, given it is partially disassembled and doesn’t run, I would have to pass.
I voted for the Nissan, though it is not without some reservations. I like the 240sx, but the automatic is a huge negative. I also don’t like that the ad says the AC needs to be recharged – we all know low refrigerant is rarely the real problem. I don’t like it when sellers imply all of their vehicle’s flaws have a trivial fix they are unwilling to do for no apparent reason – it makes me wonder what else they are hiding. Overall, I think the Nissan is nice and today’s clear winner, but I’m not sure it is worth the asking price.
You can get enough Méhari and 2cv parts to build one from scratch, although it sounds like this guy has plenty of of parts already.
The Citroen is fun and silly. The Nissan is totally meh. I’ll spend my fake internet money on fun and silly.
Méhariste Unir !
I try to avoid “neither”, but this is close. I know the Autopian loves Citroëns, but I don’t think rare necessarily equals a valuable and coveted collectible for the Mehari. The high-mileage 240SX must have a Tokyo Drift tax added to the price, but I would drive it. I wonder if it’d be worth trying to put a manual transmission in it?
Pack of Gauloises vs a vape pen.
Jane Birkin vs Walmart queen.
At the prices asked, this is a “neither” kind of day, but forced to choose, I suppose I’ll take the Nissan.
The Mehari is more interesting. And costly and more work. The 240SX has never really interested me though. This one is an auto as well. I’ve driven them. An old girlfriend had one in that same color although hers was a hardtop and had that heads-up display thing. At the time, I wanted a MR2 or a 300ZX Twin Turbo. I did rally cross and all the car club events in my car. But I never got into the whole tuner crowd thing or drifting or the F/F scene.
So today to my surprise, I’m choosing Mehari.
I’d rather try to fix the Méhari than the Nissan. It’s almost as simple as a lawn mower.
It does remind me of some old motorcycles in its simplicty.
I’ve been looking into BMW boxer motorcycle engine swaps for 2CVs. They look like great fun.
This was a surprisingly tough choice, even with faux-funds. I’ve always thought the Méharis were cool, and this one is actually in Eugene, Oregon. Half as far away as Seattle. But I have absolutely no use for it and it’s just too much of a project even if it has a boatload of spare parts. Maybe if the seller threw in the Jag S-type in the background, since two hopeless projects are better than one! So 240SX it is. I don’t need that either and it’s 2x overpriced, but it seems decent and the top still goes up and down.
I’m in the same position (as in, probably a dozen miles SE of you) but my coin landed on Citroen instead. Hey, it’s got a pickup bed so it’s the practical choice.
I’d check your math on 2 projects are better than 1
I would enjoy the ownership concept and experience of the Méhari more than lame-ass automatic 240 with over a quarter million miles on it. It’s French for me this Vendredi!
Do they Drift the convertibles? Either way the 240 is the safer and in most ways better choice here, but I am going the little french thing, simply because I have never seen one and it would interest me more, for now, to get it running and keep it running. however, I do feel the price is pretty high for a non runner, regardless of rarity.
“I really like that orange color, but if I have the choice between an ’80s VW and a 2000s VW, I’ll always go for the older one. Of course, I’d rather have a Scirocco, but who wouldn’t?”
Funny. I HAD a “Mars red” Mk2 Scirocco, with an 8v GTI engine and thanks to a lack of factory clear coat and my unwillingness to constantly wax the damn thing it was more of a pumpkin orange. Unfortunately pumpkin orange wasn’t red, especially not FERARRI red which was the only hue of that part of the spectrum anyone actually cared about.
I’d buy a golf cart before the Citroen.
The 240SX seller is full of shit and/or the aerosol propellant he’s been huffing if he thinks that a 260,000 mile automatic SX in that condition is worth $8500. Here’s a comp from BaT for the same price with 1/4 the miles.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1992-nissan-240sx-38/
Idiot.
This is a neither day for me.
Let’s see: One is a car and the other is a specialty tool that needs work.
Yes, my biases are showing.
240 for me!
It’s a survivor, but I don’t respect it! That money goes so much farther for a similar much newer oh I don’t know, Miata?
240SX, but not enthusiastically at that price. I sold my well-sorted SR swapped S13 for less than that (in 2007).
I’m driving that Citroen over to Jason’s and blast Steal My Sunshine from the driveway.
Woof, this is a tough choice, there is a whole lotta nope in these two, but I guess for my fake internet dollars I would take the Mehari. You are right, I have never seen one before and my last name is French… so sure.
I wouldn’t use that money on either of them but I chose Mehari. Much more interesting, parts are plenty available and there simply can’t be too big problem on the ignition.
Probably a fuel system issue from sitting around, and maybe some crusty points.